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Wondering About Ward?

Written by Christine Spehar

“If you read about it, then it’s wrong because some God damned reporter is writing it and they’re just going to write what sells papers.”

Damn. Note to self: when researching an article about reclusive mountain community, avoid divulging intentions to members of said reclusive mountain community. But let me back up.

Ward is a town in Boulder County with an elevation of a little less than 10,000 feet and a population of a little more 169 residents, according to the 2000 Census. It is located just off of the Peak-to-Peak Highway at the top of Left Hand Canyon.

Many road bikers and triathletes know it as a destination that, once reached, means you’re officially hardcore. Tourists,skiers and scenic drivers may know it as that eerie place you pass by with all the broken down cars, dilapidated, mural-covered buildings and inhabitants who seem to have a knack for using aforementioned cars to make resourceful additions to their ramshackle houses. Ward is a Home Rule Municipality, which means it is self-governed and is not under the jurisdiction of Boulder County law. Or, as the Ward resident quoted earlier (who prefers to remain anonymous) says, “There’s not like a condominium place with all your rules and a committee that decides what color you can paint your house. There’s a mayor and it’s a community in the sense that people live next to each other, but everyone is independent and doing their own thing. Nobody gives a shit.” Well then.

Could that be the reason, perhaps, that Ward has been at the center of some seemingly far-fetched rumors? The town is described as “anti-establishment counterculture mountain community, with residents forming an enclosed community wary of outsiders” by Wikipedia. The same article asserted that a man in Ward guarded the town’s one stop sign with a shotgun, opening fire at anyone who didn’t come to a complete stop at the sign; that claim has since been removed, however. There are stories of the town drunk randomly shooting a visitor in the foot, of men in dresses wielding swords and guns around town, of schizophrenics, drug dealers, drug users and promiscuous women...the list goes on.

So, what’s Ward’s deal for real?

Ward: HOA Free

Pat Cypher, who created a Ward website (wardcolorado.googlepages.com ) calls the town a tribal community, the inhabitants of which “above-all value freedom and individuality, who love the mountains, identify with each other, interact frequently on a personal basis, who sometimes argue, fight, gossip, and just plain don't like each other, but who will, when push comes to shove, stand up for one another, help each other, including those who are different or even mentally ill, and who will pull together to combat outside influences.”

My anonymous source seems to agree: “It’s a closed community because the people that live there don’t want other people coming in and changing it, but that doesn’t mean that they’re all buddies and have big beer parties every Saturday night.”

But, “closed community” or not, Ward is a town. There’s a post office, a library, a playground, a church, a town hall, the Italian restaurant Marrocco’s, a bar and grill, a coffee shop and a general store, not to mention a very popular Fourth of July parade complete with a traditional annual town photo depicting all the residents. It is home to artists of all kinds, including, poets, writers, painters, jewelers, blacksmiths, sculptors and photographers—famed artist Georgia O’Keeffe came to Ward in 1917 to paint landscapes. And as for the rumors suggesting the town is full of misfits, drug dealers and crazies, some are downright untrue. For instance, Cypher says, “The stories about [men] sharing women are obviously a drunk at the bar's wishful thinking. Actually for many years Ward was a matriarchal society with women holding primary economic and political power.” And in general, the anonymous Wardite says, “They’re not outcasts of society. It’s just a place for people that want to be independent and do their own thing and not necessarily do a community type of thing.”

Independence. A community of loners. Hmm. I’m sensing a common theme here. If almost everyone who lives in Ward does so because they seek independence, doesn’t that mean that the members of the town are unified within that common quest? In their desire to be left alone, they have surrounded themselves with others who want to be left alone. In their attempt to shun community ideals, they have created an anti-community community, a counterculture culture.

The Fourth of July, Ward Style

In some ways, it’s no wonder the Fourth of July is the biggest day of celebration in Ward. In a time when most communities struggle to motivate citizens to vote, Wardites practice a “Town Hall” form of democracy reminiscent of early New England governments in which topics are discussed at town meetings and any controversial issue is decided by confidential, written ballot. In a time when most people would rather watch Desperate Housewives instead of the presidential debates, Wardites protected their civil rights by openly rejecting the US Patriot Act in their 2004 “Resolution of the General Assembly of the Town of Ward Expressing the Commitment of the Town of Ward to Civil Rights,” and the town is a part of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee.

Sure. Maybe the people who live in Ward are an odd mix and a tad strange. They’re artists, hippies, families, business owners, hikers and mechanics and lovers of the outdoors, they’re uneducated, they’re PhDs, they’re dog walkers and cooks and writers and skiers. “Ward is a microcosm of the larger world, albeit more liberal than most places. Yes there are people who are mentally ill, act crazy, who are hermits, who are on the fringe -- just like everywhere else, but I think what is unique is that people who are truly different are accepted as members of the community,” says Cypher.

Maybe Wardites are strange to outsiders because they choose to be set apart. They choose sovereignty over government surveillance, old car parts over Home Depot, righteous separation over inclusion in something they don’t fully believe in.

In remembering our forefathers, who despite the curly white wigs and face powder were some of the most badass rebels in history, Wardites seem suddenly admirable. They live in a place where they can celebrate an adherence to autonomy and they recognize that maintaining that autonomy can be a struggle—that personal freedom comes first and “giving a shit” about what others think of you has no place at all.

Photos courtesy of Pat Cypher

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57758758 said:

-Cairn comment-
smilies/sad.gif

Wearing MBT shoes provides many pro-body benefits: this is the result of an increasing number of international studies supporting the numerous health benefits of the "anti-shoe ".

February 18, 2010 @ 07:19 PM

G. S. Sullivan said:

-Cairn comment-
As a Colorado native involved with the Boy Scouts in my childhood, I've been camping the Rockies for 5 decades. My(and now SO many others)favorite spot was always Brainard Lakes Area. I remember 35 years ago you could just walk in and camp anywhere. I still chase trout there and have an extensive photo collection of the area. As a Colorado "hippy", Ward represented to me what life should be like, how people should live, quite, comfortable watchful, helpful and funloving. You can still take a side road in the area and find your way down a dirt raod where inevitably you'll find an old campsite (though it's getting tougher).
Great article Christine, you should go there and visit, I would volunteer to be your personal guide.
Sincerely, G. S. Sullivan aka another ward hippie, smilies/cool.gif

February 25, 2010 @ 05:50 PM

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Christine Spehar
		About the author:
		Christine Spehar is an activist and freelance writer. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California, but has professed her undying love for Colorado.
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